What is Snow Made of? Snowflake Facts for Kids

Snow is a form of precipitation like rain and sleet.

To snow the temperature must be below 32 degrees.

Snowflakes actually start as tiny ice crystals that form from water vapor that freezes in the atmosphere.

The size of a snowflake depends on how many ice crystals connect together.

Each snowflake is made up of about 200 ice crystals.

Snowflakes have six sides.

There is no scientific proof that no two snowflakes aren’t exactly alike.

On average snowflakes fall from the sky at 3-4 miles per hour.

Close to 80% of the worlds fresh water supply comes from snow and ice.

Snow is not actually white but clear. Snow looks white because of the way the light reflects off of the ice crystals.

Snow didn’t always look white. When coal was used widespread in factories and homes a lot of coal dust traveled through the air. The coal dust was absorbed in the clouds and when it snowed it often looked gray from the air pollution.

Thundersnow is when it snows while it is thunder and lightning.

Watermelon snow is snow with algae growing on it. The algae is a reddish color. It is mostly found in the Canadian Rockies.

On average there are around 105 snowstorms a year that hit the US.

Snow at the North and South Poles reflect heat into space. The snow acts like a mirror from the sun. The light bounces off of the snow and travels into space.

Heavy snowfalls are called snowstorms.

Heavy snowfalls with high winds over 35 miles per hour with limited visibility are called blizzards.

Billions of snowflakes fall is every snowstorm.

When the weatherman predicts a blizzard is coming people buy more cakes, candy and cookies than any other food.

The most snowfall over a year was in Mount Rainier in the state of Washington. It snowed 1,224 inches from February 19th 1971- February 19th 1972.

The most snow to fall in a 24 hour period was 76 inches in Silver Lake Colorado in 1921.

The largest snowman was 122 feet tall. It was built-in Maine in 2008.

The largest snow sculpture ever built was in Heilongjiang Province China in 2008. It was 656 feet long and 115 feet tall. It took 600 sculptors from 40 countries to build it.

The snowiest place in the US is Stampede Pass in Washington State. On Average it snows 430 inches a year.

The Wapusk Trail holds the Guinness Book of World Record for the longest seasonal winter road (Only functional during winter months). It is 467 miles long and connects Gillam Monitoba to Peawanuk Ontario Canada. The road closes in late March when the weather gets warmer.

The most popular activity for kids to do in the snow is to build a snowman!